Welcome message, away message and drip sequences

🎯 Goal

Greet every new customer, answer after hours and nurture leads automatically, all in a few minutes.

🧰 What you need

• A connected number
• For the away message: business hours set (Automation → Hours & teams)

Open Automation → Built-ins. Each built-in creates a normal run-alongside flow behind the scenes. Click Open in builder any time to extend it.

Welcome message

Sent once, to a customer’s very first message.

1. Under Welcome message, write the text: Hi {{name}}, welcome! 👋 Thanks for messaging us. How can we help you today?
2. Optional: Then continue in a flow, for example your Main menu chatbot.
3. Switch it Active and save.

Away message

Sent when a message arrives outside your business hours.

1. Set your business hours first.
2. Under Away message, write: Thanks for your message! We're closed right now and will reply from 10 am. 🙏
3. At most once every 12 hours per customer, so people who send several messages don’t get the reply again and again.
4. Switch it Active and save.

Both are skipped when a chatbot already answered the message.

login.meapi.in/automation?tab=builtins

• Welcome message and Away message cards, each with an Active switch and the message text. Variables like {{name}} work.
• Welcome: Then continue in (optional) another flow. Away: At most once every N hours per customer.
• Open in builder opens the flow behind a built-in.
• Drip sequences: your drips with Edit and Builder, and the Drip button for a new one.

Drip sequences

A series of messages spaced out over time, starting when the trigger fires. Examples: onboarding series, follow-ups, course lessons.

1. Under Drip sequences, click Drip.
2. Name it, for example New lead follow-up, and pick the trigger, for example A tag is added → lead.
3. Add Steps. For each one, set Send after (minutes, hours or days after the previous step) and the content:
   • Text (only inside the 24-hour window), or
   • Approved template (always delivers). Use this for anything sent more than a day later.
4. Tick Stop when the customer replies, so a person takes over the conversation naturally.
5. Save and switch it on.

Example: Day 0: “Thanks for your interest! Here’s our brochure (PDF)” · Day 1 (template): “Any questions about the brochure, {{1}}?” · Day 3 (template): “This week only: free installation.”

Caution

Steps after the first day almost always need a template. The customer’s 24-hour window will usually have closed.

What’s next

Business hours →Open hours, holidays, time zone.Tutorial: welcome + away + menu →A complete first-week setup.